Electrical systems are becoming faster, denser in the number of components, and increasingly complex. Increasing density typically requires greater current which, in turn, requires low resistance interconnection and effective heat dissipation. Higher speed and larger currents require low inductance. Increasing complexity often requires that subassembly boards be mounted and connected onto system boards (“motherboards”).
The presence of multiple processors on motherboards has driven the need to distribute power converters on motherboards at the point of load (POL). The conventional approach to power distribution was to provide power planes in the motherboards and traces of sufficient dimension to handle the power. But multiple processors make power planes increasingly difficult to design and, in some instances, infeasible. With processors driving the need for higher currents (tens of amps) and high slew rates (up to seven hundred amperes per microsecond), motherboard designs are now often based on a distributed power architecture (DPA) providing on-board point of load power converters.
In addition to providing high currents at high slew rates, the interconnection system should provide a reliable conduit for dissipating heat and a reliable, space-efficient design to provide close access to the load. No conventional interconnection system fully meets these diverse requirements and improved systems are needed.